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Monday, October 26, 2009

The Kurt Browning Arena and Complex in Caroline will receive some major upgrade work in the time ahead.This has been made possible by a donation of $500,000 from the Alberta Government to the Village of Caroline,which is the legal owner of the complex. Local MLA TY Lund presented the cheque to delighted members of the Village Council on October 13. The cheque is the government's response to an application by the Village to the Major Community Facilities Programfor complex renovation and expansion work.Present to receive the cheque from Ty Lund: Councillors Hendrik Van Dijk and Helen Willigar, Major Laura Cudmore and deputy Mayor Gwen Nielsen

Opinion by Helge NomeWhat is it about Alberta’s Bill 50 that is hitting a raw nerve with a lot of people? The bill seeks to modify existing legislation in Alberta in such a way that the ability of citizens to oppose the establishment of electric power corridors is removed.It is probably the sheer brazenness of the proposed legislation that is taking people aback. Normal processes for questioning and evaluating a project are simply removed, putting all the power of making decisions into the hands of the provincial minister and cabinet of the day. And in our so called contemporary “democracy” these people occupy their ministerial chairs by way of financial contributions to their political party from the energy industry.So it’s Peter helping Paul to help Peter.Bill 50 ensures that the Alberta Utilities Commission, where technical experts with professional ethical standards are involved in the decision making, is simply removed from the process of making decisions if the infrastructure involved is designated to be “critical”.Who says it is critical? Well, the Minister, presumably, after his industry friends have put the word into his ear.And the interesting thing now is that CEO Gary Holden of Calgary’s main power utility Enmax points out that local power generation, using natural gas driven turbines, would be the logical way to complement power generation when needed at a fraction of the financial and environmental cost of high voltage power lines from coal burning power stations in Northern Alberta.Meanwhile, Altalink President Scott Thon maintains that the new transmission lines are essential in order to prevent electricity blackouts in Alberta. Not surprisingly, Altalink is the company that plans to build the lines and charge Alberta’s power users for their construction. The unmentioned elephant under the table is that most of the power generated will go south of the border along this great new energy highway, paid for by Albertans and used to enhance the bottom line of the exporting power companies.Ask yourself this question: Why did we, by way of our politicians, sell a perfectly good power generation and distribution system to private interests, so that they could turn around and rip us off in return?The answer is pretty obvious: The wrong kinds of people get into political positions of power because the right kinds of people don’t step up to the plate.

Joe Anglin (right) from the Lavesta group of concerned land owners addressed a public meeting in the Leslieville Elks Hall on Thursday, October 22. Following the meeting, a number of local residents spoke to Anglin about his presentation. Bill 50 deals with high voltage power transmission lines going across private lands.Anglin's message can be summed up as follows:Bill-50 proposes to give the Cabinet (Minister) the authority to arbitrarily determine which transmission line proposals will be deemed critical projects. When passed, the Cabinet (Minister) will have the authority to approve any project, without the necessity of a regulatory process or public hearing. Before Bill-50 has even passed the minister is announcing the approval of $16 billion in expenditures to build giant transmission lines from Northern Alberta to reach the California market.Ironically, Bill-50 is not necessary; the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) already has the legislative authority to approve any project, if the matter is urgent, without giving notice or holding a hearing. The AUC only needs justification and proof that the matter is sufficient and urgent.Why Bill-50 and what is the difference between the AUC’s current legislative authority and the newly proposed authority in Bill 50? The AUC’s engineers are held accountable to the ethical standards of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA). When Bill 50 is passed, the Cabinet, or Minister, will not be held accountable to any ethical standards governing engineers.

A standing policy committee meeting will be held November 4, 2009 so stakeholders and members of the public can have their say on Bill 50. We the people who are the most adversely affected by Bill 50 respectfully request that our representative, Joe Anglin, be invited to attend on our behalf, as the representative of our joint memberships.Please do not lock us out of the process, yet again!

Sincerely, Constance Ellen JensenSecretaryLavesta Area Group and Greg TroitskyPresidentUnited Power Transmission Area Groups (UPTAG)

Friday, October 23, 2009

Rimbey, AB) Joe Anglin, the leader of the Lavesta Area Group, will be speaking on Bill-50 Saturday October 24th at the Alberta Party AGM at Stanford Inn 4704 50th Street Red Deer, Red Deer, AB. The AGM begins at 10:00 am, and Anglin will speak at noon. This is an Alberta Party function and the press and public is invited to attend. There is a $20 charge for non-members, which includes lunch and the speaker; call Fred for more info (403) 225-4485.Bill-50 proposes to give the Cabinet (Minister) the authority to arbitrarily determine which transmission line proposals will be deemed critical projects. When passed, the Cabinet (Minister) will have the authority to approve any project, without the necessity of a regulatory process or public hearing. Before Bill-50 has even passed the minister is announcing the approval of $16 billion in expenditures to build giant transmission lines from Northern Alberta to reach the California market.Ironically, Bill-50 is not necessary; the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) already has the legislative authority to approve any project, if the matter is urgent, without giving notice or holding a hearing. The AUC only needs justification and proof that the matter is sufficient and urgent.Why Bill-50 and what is the difference between the AUC’s current legislative authority and the newly proposed authority in Bill 50? The AUC’s engineers are held accountable to the ethical standards of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA). When Bill 50 is passed, the Cabinet, or Minister, will not be held accountable to any ethical standards governing engineers.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

What a shame that some of our best young people are being used to promote the scam of the century, the emissions trading scheme.Our planet is becoming poisoned by pollution, of which carbon dioxide is one of the least noxious parts. Degradation of the oceans, where a huge proportion photosynthesis occurs, is likely to have more effect on the carbon cycle alone than anything being done on land. But this scheme takes no account of it. It includes no provisions whatever to prevent industrial wastes being poured into waterways. Nor would it stop the biggest polluters from simply buying carbon credits and continuing their abuse of the environment.Speculation on the futures market cost the worlds motorists billions of dollars during the recent “oil spike”. The proposed carbon trading scheme would simply set up another “casino” for the very rich to exploit at the expense of the taxpaying general public. Fluctuations in carbon markets would form another variable to make life difficult for primary producers and exporters in New Zealand. An honest scheme would involve taxes on all forms of pollution. This would have the double benefit of providing governments with funds for corrective measures.In view of the manipulation that caused the present recession, it amazes me that irresponsible people in financial circles can still “suck in” some of our most dedicated environmentalists to back their schemes.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Re: Alberta revises royalty-in-kind, New Hardisty terminal Enbridge’s second largest, October 20, 2009The Alberta government is planning to take up to 75,000 barrels per day of unprocessed bitumen in lieu of royalties and have these upgraded in Alberta. It has issued a call for proposals to build the plant that would upgrade this bitumen into synthetic crude oil. Meanwhile, Enbridge is building a pipeline and additional facilities to ship up to 450,000 barrels per day of bitumen to Wisconsin. Similarly, TransCanada is building a pipeline to carry 500,000 barrels of bitumen to southern markets each day. The government’s effort to get added-value for our bitumen is a drop in the bucket compared to the value we will forego if we allow the export of nearly 1 million barrels of bitumen per day for upgrading and refining in the USA.Upgrading this bitumen in Alberta could add over $20 billion a year to our economy. Construction of the required upgrading plants would provide thousands of jobs and billions to our economy.

Bitumen exports must be capped at the current volume. The Alberta Bitumen Upgrading Company should be established. This company would be modelled along the lines of the Alberta Gas Trunk Line Company established by the Social Credit government in 1954. Bitumen producing companies that don’t have the expertise, capital or desire to be in the upgrading business would be invited to invest in this company. Albertans would be given first choice to buy shares. The Alberta government would also be a shareholder.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Opinion by Helge NomeThere are those of us who put a question mark behind the idea of global warming. This much touted concept has not been affirmed in sensory experience here in Alberta, Canada during the last couple of years. Our winters have been long and arduous and spring has arrived late, followed by a short summer and early snow. In contrast, on New Year’s Eve in 1999, I believe, we here in the cold north were out in our shirt sleeves, being warmer than our cousins in New Orleans at that time, getting ready to watch the fire works. Then Winter came with a bang at about 11pm, in the form of a cold front and minus 20 degree celsius weather.This year things are very different. Spring started very late and the green leaves are still on the desideous trees, frozen to death prematurely on this Monday, October 19. They did not have the opportunity to complete their normal growth and decay cycle. And I just heard a road report from a Canadian family camping out in the San Diego area of the US. They woke up to three inches of snow the other day. Is this Global Warming?And yet, the ice is retreating in Canada’s Arctic and glaciers are getting smaller. Are we missing something?Greenhouse gas affectionados seem to have developed tunnel vision with respect to climate change to a point where they ignore the biggest factor in the equation of life on Earth: The Sun, or “Aten” as the ancient Egyptians called that great furnace in the sky.

We tend to take the Sun for granted. It is always there, every day, and does not seem to change much, apart from changing its position in the sky and hiding behind clouds from time to time. So we don’t pay much attention to it.Why would an extremely advanced and intelligent culture like that of ancient Egypt turn the sundisk into an object of worship? Gods are generally held to be rather temperamental beings with great power over the fates of mortals and their pleasure should be entertained in exchange for favors. What would make the ancient Egyptians regard the sun in this way?Well, perhaps their Aten really was a temperamental being, changing how he behaved from time to time. Could that be happening now?It may be too early to tell, but information on NASA’s website indicates that sunspot activity on the surface of the sun is almost non-existent with a projected increase late in appearing. There is usually a cycle lasting some 11 years during which sunspot activity increases, decreases and increases again, greatly affecting the Earth’s weather patterns. Sunspot activity and the energy output of the sun are closely related and the last time Aten took a snooze was in the 1650ies. He yawned and woke up again in about 1725, producing what has since been called the “Little Ice Age” in Europe. I have posted some graphs from NASA of this on my website www.albertawest.infoSo, are we dealing with a mixed bag of atmospheric change on the earth and reduced solar output?The melting ice caps in the polar regions can be explained in terms of changing gas composition in the atmosphere above the poles, admitting more solar energy into these regions.The distinctly cooler weather we are experiencing could be ascribed to a lower solar energy output. A strange brew indeed.

RIMBEY, AB – October 19, 2009 - Joe Anglin, Leader of the Lavesta Area Group will continue his province-wide speaking tour presenting evidence in opposition to Bill 50 at the Lethbridge Public Library, 810-5th Avenue South, this evening, October 19, 2009 at 7 p.m.Anglin began his tour last Monday, and has since been subjected to harassment tactics by AESO (Alberta Electric System Operator), Alberta Energy, and most recently by Elections Alberta. The Lavesta Area Group views these unwarranted tactics as desperate attempts by proponents of the Bill to intimidate Mr. Anglin and the Lavesta group.The tour moves on to Leslieville, AB, with a presentation at the Leslieville Elks Hall on Thursday evening, October 22.For more information:Joe Anglin403-843-3279403-963-0521

Tammi and Heather celebrated the Grand Opening of their Tips to Toes Oasis in Caroline on Friday, October 9They are conveniently located in the small strip mall south of ATB Financial next to Caroline Insurance.Heather's focus is on Gel Nails, Manicure, Pedicure, Paraffin and All Waxing.Tammi does massages, including Swedish Relaxation Massage and Hot Stones, Raindrop Therapy, Body Wraps and Facials.And if you are a man, don't feel shy about calling in. Mens' Facial, Neck and Back therapies are also on the menu.To find out more about this service, please call Heather or Tammi on 403 722-2207.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Opinion by Helge NomeA fight is emerging between vested interest groups, working through elected politicians and people in the government bureaucracy, and taxpayers being held to ransom to pay for profit making schemes cooked up by private individuals.An excellent contemporary example of this is Bill 50, currently before the Alberta Legislature. Bill 50 seeks to override normal processes involved in establishing public infrastructure on private lands, to the detriment of land owners and for the benefit of private special interest groups, in this case power companies seeking to establish a highway for their electricity exports from Alberta to the US.On top of that, Alberta electricity consumers are being told that Alberta needs this magnificent $15-20 billion power grid in order to satisfy consumption increases within Alberta. “Better being safe than sorry” we are told by the province’s electricity regulatorwithout any substantive figures to show how we are going to use all that energy.Meanwhile, I have heard on the grapewine that the American portion of the great new energy highway is already under construction and is set to meet up with its Alberta counterpart, sooner rather than later. And to put some icing on the cake for the power exporting companies, Alberta’s electricity consumers are going to be required to pay for the new transmission line by way of their electricity bills.It is all being arranged by behind-the-scene manipulators through their connections to politicians and bureaucrats.To find out more about this sorry state of affairs, and what can be done about it, come to the Leslieville Elks Hall on Thursday, October 22, at 7pm and hear Joe Anglin explain in detail what is happening and what can be done about it.Bill 50 is only one example of bullying attempts by vested interests, acting through politicians and bureaucrats, against ordinary people.

Greg Imeson from the Rocky Youth Development Society poses with the 35mm movie projector just installed in the Clearwater Boys and Girls Club movie theater/club house on the west end of main street in Caroline. Imeson is a volunteer with the club and also owns the movie theater in Sylvan Lake

After much renovation work, carried out by the Rocky Youth Development Society, the new movie theater and club house of the Clearwater Boys and Girls Club in Caroline is almost ready. Invited guests were treated to a trial run of the movie projection equipment on Wednesday, September 30 and given a tour of the facility by Boys and Girls club staff. The building will be used for the dual purpose of movie theater for the general public and club house for the Caroline program of the Boys and Girls club. It is hoped to make the Boys and Girls club program financially self sustaining by putting on weekly movie shows. When the movie theater is completed, there will be full surround sound and acoustic panels which will make the movie experience very real.

Caroline's new movie theater on the west end of main street had its first trial run on September 30.The cartoon characters in the movie impressed the invited guests in the audience with their antics.Greg Imeson, from the Rocky Youth Development Society who has experience in the movie industry, said that regular movie shows tends to draw people into a community for the benefit of local businesses.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

In a series of speaking engagements around the province of Alberta Joe Anglin, the leader of the Lavesta Area Group will be addressing issues relevant to Bill-50 -- “The Electric Statutes Amendment Act”. The purpose for the speaking tour is to raise public awareness from the perspective of a ratepayer and a citizen. The first and last events listed below will incorporate additional topics.

October 13th 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. SAGE building (the old Land Titles office) at 15 Sir Winston Churchill Square – meeting room B in the basement -- Sponsored by the Edmonton’s Seniors’ Action and Liaison Team (SALT)

Come to the Leslieville Elks Hall on Thursday, October 22, at 7pm and find out how the Alberta government is planning to take away your land rights and make you pay $14 billion in extra electricity charges.

It is all for the good of the corporate friends of the Stelmach government that want Albertans to pay for their energy highway going south across the border to the US.

Come and hear Joe Anglin tell you all about it

For more information, check out www.albertawest.info or call 403 722 2836

Opinion by Helge NomeThere is an old saying: "The Devil is in the details". That is certainly true with respect to legislation proposed by the Stelmach government to amend Alberta's Hydro and Electric Energy Act to over ride the power of the Alberta Utilities Commission in deciding whether an electric transmission line meets the need of Alberta, or is in the public interest.The proposed legislation, currently sailing under the banner "Bill 050", was introduced into the Alberta Legislature on June 1 and seeks to amend various acts, including the Hydro and Electric energy Act as detailed below:

"Hydro and Electric Energy ActAmends RSA 2000 cH-163(1) The Hydro and Electric Energy Act is amended by thissection.(2) The following is added before section 14:Critical transmission infrastructure13.1(1) In this section, “critical transmission infrastructure”means critical transmission infrastructure as defined in theElectric Utilities Act.(2) The construction, connection and operation of atransmission line or part of a transmission line that is designatedas critical transmission infrastructure is required to meet theneeds of Alberta and is in the public interest.(3) Section 19 is amended by adding the following aftersubsection (1):(1.1) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Commission shall notrefuse an approval of a transmission line or part of atransmission line designated as critical transmissioninfrastructure as defined in the Electric Utilities Act on the basisthat, in its opinion, it does not meet the needs of Alberta or isnot in the public interest."

This last clause above (1.1) is the eye opener. In simple language it states that the impact of a transmission line on Alberta and Albertans does not matter. It is simply irrelevant.What can one conclude from this kind of proposed legislation. Who on earth is writing this stuff?Who has something to gain from this? Why are we irrelevant?Simple: Because some other people think that they are a lot more important than we are. Who are they?We know that Alberta is big box loaded with potential energy, which is exactly what the world wants right now. It is simply a matter of getting that energy to where it is wanted with a minimum amount of hazzle. We are part of that potential hazzle, so steamrolling us with laws that pave the way for the rape of our province makes perfect sense. Once the laws are enacted by the Stelmach puppies (or energy puppets), our own legal system will prevent us from doing anything about it. Sweet, isn't it?

As you know our Summer Reading Program was a huge success this summer thanks to our dedicated summer employee, Amanda Davis, and a wonderful volunteer, Kira Shippelt. The winners of our great prizes that were donated by BP Canada were Dallace Smith, who chose one of the cameras, Laeken Kinch, who chose the bike and Sarah Johnson, who received the other camera. All participants received a gift bag as well. Amanda has agreed to stay on working as casual along with Donna Gustaw, and has also offered to continue with a pre-school story time on Thursday mornings at the library. Anyone interested, please contact the library at 403-722-4060. We would also like to extend an invitation to the general public at this time to come into the library on Oct. 9 between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to help us celebrate Parkland Library’s 50th anniversary celebration. We will have surprise giveaways to the first few people coming into the library during those hours as well we will be serving coffee, cookies, and juice. If you are a regular patron or have never been to our library please come in and help us celebrate!Please see photos below. The photos can be magnified and saved on your computer by simply clicking on them

Monday, October 5, 2009

Most of us, at one time or another, have probably gotten the response: “Money don’t grow on trees, you know”, when asking a sibling, or close relative for some of that elusive stuff. So where does it grow?If not on trees, it has to be grown somewhere, somehow? Otherwise there wouldn’t be any money, surely?What about the Bank of Canada? If they don’t have piles of money, who has?

So, what would happen if we show up on the front steps of that venerable institution with a wheelbarrow and asked for some. After all, we, the people of Canada are its legal owners.Well, if the on-duty security guard had a sense of humor, he might go upstairs and fetch the petty cash tin and give us some money to get him a cup of coffee around the corner. And he would be perfectly truthful in saying that the petty cash tin contains all the money in the Bank of Canada.What about gold? That solid fortress-like building would surely have some in the basement?It does not have to. The world got off the gold standard a long time ago because it was too hard to find and too heavy to cart around with you. Some people put it into their teeth but tended to get a sore neck after a while for the same reason. Besides, they increased their chances of “getting their teeth kicked in” by opportunists.

So, where does money come from?Well, this is how it should work: As productive economic activity increases in a nation over time, new money is needed, in addition to what is already in circulation to give people the tickets (money) to buy what is produced without running short of the stuff. In our case, the Bank of Canada, based on a formal request from the Government of Canada in the form of, say, Treasury Bills (IOUs), could create and deposit x number of dollars into the government’s bank account. From there the government would decide on how to distribute that new money into the economy in order to maintain healthy economic activity.Is that what happens? Not quite. The Bank of Canada is tied into a global banking network at the apex of which is the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, and from where it receives direction as to what it can do and not do.That usually means that the Government of Canada has to borrow money from some private source, at interest, when new money is needed for whatever reason.

And when we need some new money, just like the government, we might as well park the wheelbarrow back in the garage, and go to the local bank manager and beg for some - at interest.So where does he get it from?Like most bankers, he is allowed to make it up out of thin air, as long as he doesn’t overdo it. Contrary to popular belief, he does not lend out your hard earned cash in your deposit account. If that was all the money he could play with, the bank would go broke in short order.

Ask yourself this question: Why, in a sovereign nation, should its government go hat in hand to some onshore or offshore bankers and borrow a bunch of numbers at interest that could be created by its own central bank with a few keystrokes?

P.S. If you would like to learn more about the Bank for International Settlements, check out this video:http://www.bis.org/events/agm2009/pcvideo.htm

These young people from Caroline School were given their briefing in the school grounds last week, prior to carrying out work in the community to raise funds for upcoming activities. It is all part of an initiative to forge closer links between the school and its community.

On Friday, September 25, these young people from the Clearwater Boys and Girls Club Caroline Program helped out in getting their new facility and movie theater ready for its grand opening shortly:Front: Casey Handy, Rob Hehr, Brian Crossman, Robert Crossman. Back: Teale Spooner, Taija Graham,Myranda Hensel, Emily Groves.The facility is located on the west end of Caroline and will feature movie shows for the public, as well as being a club house for the Boys and Girls club. This is the first project of its kind, launched by a Boys and Girls club in Canada with the idea of supporting club activities from funds generated by movie showings to the public.

Friend and colleagues gathered at the Legion Hall in Caroline on Sunday, September 27, to wish Caroline School Math/Science teacher Jackie Cooper (center) all the best in her retirement from teaching.After a career of some 20 years in Caroline, Ms. Cooper is planning to continue to live in the community where a great number of people have benefited from her dedication to her profession.

Please click on photo to enlarge and downloadThese volunteer fire fighters were honored recently at the inauguration of the fire fighting museum exhibit in the reconstructed village office/fire hall at the Caroline Wheels of Time Museum